There are glass bowls filled with tiny Krackel, Mr. Goodbar and Hershey's chocolates in the center of the main board room table upstairs.

A tub of Dum-Dums lollipops sits, not inconspicuously, near Human Resource Benefits Coordinator Maria Smirensky's desk. Even inside the borrowed cubicle of new member services coordinator Brendan McCoy, there is a clear plastic dispenser of pastel-colored M&Ms — and judging by the handful sitting on the bottom, someone has been hitting the supply hard.

Such small touches of welcome allude to the grander mission, and message, of Cap Com — that if the 60-year-old nonprofit company expects employees to treat customers like family, the company must treat employees the same.

It's likely why the credit union, which has 277 employees and serves 90,000 Capital Region banking customers, was rated the number one Top Workplace in its size category.

Cap Com, which has 11 branches from Glenmont to Glens Falls, opened its mortgage division in 2010 and the next year launched a school banking program aimed at teaching kids to save by opening an account and making deposits. "Work has to be more than a four-letter word," said Stopera, who is shepherding a plan to build an office on Winners Circle that should start construction this summer. "It has to become part of your heartbeat."

Many anonymous employees who responded to the Times Union's Top Workplaces survey said they simply enjoyed the people they work with.

Dale Williams has worked for the company since 1986 when it had only one branch on West Computer Drive. First hired as a loan officer, she is now a branch representative at the main office on East Computer Drive. "I love the people that work here — and our members," she said.

Smirensky said the collective congeniality of employees is no accident, noting that the "talent acquisition specialist" works hard to find future employees who would be the right fit. "People are shocked at how wonderful they're treated when they start here," said Smirensky, who herself was only hired a year and a half ago after serving as CEO of the Columbia-Greene Board of Realtors.

The credit union offers benefits to people who work as little as 20 hours a week, and just started a $25 reimbursement program for gym memberships. New employees are also vested in some type of retirement benefit in as little as 90 days after employment begins.

McCoy started as a teller at Cap Com three and a half years ago, working prior as an assistant manager at Subway. Recently, McCoy was promoted to member service specialist, which entails him helping customers with home equity loans, car loans and with opening checking accounts.

"There's an opportunity for growth here," said McCoy, who was the credit union's top service award winner last year. "They reward people who work hard here, absolutely."

Janelle Moody is a member services specialist at the Clifton Park branch after being hired as a teller in 2010. Moody said she has benefited from training programs that assist people to move up the ranks and is getting tuition assistance to complete her business administration degree at Schenectady County Community College. If she gets all As, tuition is covered 100 percent, she said.

"This is the best place I've ever worked as far as giving you a platform to move forward."

Cap Com Federal Credit Union employees love their jobs because:

"I am able to help our members, sometimes during their toughest times."

"I love the people I work with and my managers treat me very kindly; we are not employees at Cap Com — we are all a family."

"It is simply a great place to work. Employees are valued, leadership is strong and very committed to the important parts of our lives and jobs."

"Everyone is working toward the same goals and I feel that we all strive to do our best work."

"I feel necessary to the team and credit union — and I appreciate the pay and benefits package."

Source: 2013 Times Union Top Workplaces survey

Cap Com Federal Credit Union

Business sector: Credit Union

Headquarters: Albany, with 11 locations in the Capital Region

Year founded: 1953

Number of employees: 277

Giving back: The CAP COM Cares Foundation has donated more than $1.7 million in monetary and in-kind contributions to Capital Region organizations and given more than 11,000 volunteer hours since it was founded in 2003. Among its efforts, the foundation delivers more than 1,500 Thanksgiving baskets to needy families.